


Moot Point

by The_Fennec_Wolf



Series: Odysseus Chronicles [1]
Category: Orphan Black (TV)
Genre: Delphine Cormier centered, Delphine Cormier/Original Female Character....sorta?, F/F, Fix It Fic, Or in which Delphine is Odysseus in a way, Post 3x10, Post Series, mentions of shaysima
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-22
Updated: 2015-11-23
Packaged: 2018-04-05 14:54:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4184061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Fennec_Wolf/pseuds/The_Fennec_Wolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"She’s just waiting for the next shot to kill her."</p><p>Delphine Cormier died...didn't she?   A fix it fic for the end of season 3 and continues to the end of the series. </p><p>Alternatively titled, " At least, I  only took two years to return. Odyesseus took ten"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Weight of the Future Hidden in the Present

            Her body is on fire as the bullet tears through somewhere between the right lumbar and iliac region. She’s not sure where it exits but it feels like the lumbus region of her back. It’s messy, her body is already shaking, trying to catch up to what she knows in her heart, the knowledge that her death was guaranteed by returning to Dyad.

            Delphine lets her eyes close, her last thoughts moving to a grinning brunette with waving hands and hungry kisses with soulful eyes that promised a lifetime together. There’s a tear rolling down her cheek as she realizes that all her hopes and dreams for a life with Cosima would not come to pass. Delphine let her eyes flutter close as the hit-man walks forward slowly. Her ears pick up the sound of the chamber sliding back slowly before clicking back into place. She’s just waiting for the next shot to kill her. The scientist can’t bring herself to open her eyes at the sound of a second gun shot. What forces her eyes open is the sound of a body hitting the concrete in front of her.

            She’s not sure if she should be happy or afraid that the man trying to kill her was now dead. Her eyes tried to stay open but fluttered shut as her body began to shut down in an effort to save herself. The last thing she remembers is something lifting her before darkness completely took her.

 

\--------------

        The next time she wakes up, Delphine is sure that she’s either in limbo or hell. Considering all she has done it’s only fitting. She looks around, not sure where she is. But she’s in a room that is plain and old. Closing her eyes, she struggles to sit up, but is stopped as a hand presses against her chest. It carefully pushes her back down.

       “ No chicken, the doctor won’t be happy to restitch you.” A familiar Irish timbre reaches her ears. Her hazel eyes open to look at Siobhan Sadler peering down at her.

     “Quoi?” She winces at how dry her throat is and goes to speak again. However a glass of water is pressed against her lips, forcing her to drink. Delphine drinks greedily trying to soothe her throat. Finally, it feels close to normal as the elder woman pulls the empty cup away before answering her question.

       “You’re in a safe house. One of the Bird Watchers took care of the hitman and scooped you up to bring you here.” Her eyes close as she processes that information before going to ask her next question.

       “How-”

       “A week and a half. You were touch and go for a while. The doctor said you were lucky. Bullet barely missed your kidneys, but it damaged your intestines and one of your vertebrae when it exited.” She’s stunned at the news, fingers trailing down her side to the bandage that wraps around her hips to the bottom of her breasts. Delphine’s mouth opens to ask the questions that are on her mind.

      “Am I-”

      “No, you’ll be able to walk in time. And Dyad already faked your death, but without a body...well, you know how it is.” The blonde just grunts at what Siobhan said. It doesn’t surprise her that Dyad declared her dead, given that the Neolutionists saw her as a threat. So she was still in danger.

     “Cosima...she knows….”

       “No. And if you wish to return to her one day, then you can not tell her that you are alive. Or she and her sisters will be in danger.” Siobhan’s tone is firm and leave no room for argument. Delphine just turns away, forcing angry tears back at the words. She knows that she can not be selfish but how much does she have to sacrifice to keep the woman she loves safe? All she wants to do is run to Cosima’s side and embrace her until they are old and gray.

      “Je comprends.” Her tone is flat as she tries to resign herself to not seeing Cosima for maybe several years. She just looks at the wall, forcing herself to school her emotions. A hand gently squeezes her shoulder.

       “You’ll see her again love. And trust me, it’s not like you won’t be busy.” Siobhan tells her before getting up and clearing her throat. “There’s some soup in the kitchen I’ll grab you. You must be hungry.” With that, she hears the Irish woman get up and leave the room. Once alone, she stops holding back her tears and sobs, letting herself have a moment of weakness.

 

\-----

            Two months later, she’s deemed stable enough to move to another safe house. With a black bag over her head during the whole drive, she struggles not to panic. Her fingers tremble as she traced the faint scars on her wrists, a twitch she’d developed over the years to calm herself. ‘ _There was a girl I once knew,_ ’ she remembered telling Shay. Delphine had hoped to scare her into giving up the truth but Cosima had called, stopping her torture of the other blonde. Her head bowed under the bag as she wished to go back and beg forgiveness.

           Best thing she can do is mumble a few prayers to a virgin and some saints that she no longer is sure she believes in, hoping that they forgive her . She’s jerked out of her thoughts as the car stops and someone helps her out of it. The blonde has to lean heavily on a cane, trying to ignore the pain in her lower back. All she can do is hobble a few steps but it’s more than she could do a few months ago. Delphine is blinded when the bag comes off and has to blink away a few tears. After several moments, she can see that she’s surrounded by giant trees with red bark. Over to her right, there’s a small cabin.

          “Welcome to your new home, dear.” Siobhan tells her as she closes her eyes. It’s peaceful, her ears able to pick up on the sounds of birds crying out to each other. Her nose twitches as she can smell the scent of the ocean. There’s a bittersweet smile that stretches across her lips. Home is where Cosima is but for now, she tells herself it’s not a bad place to wait to return to her. Carefully, she slowly makes her way into the small cabin. It’s nothing fancy but it has everything she needs. There’s a small kitchen, along with a bathroom with a decent sized tub that she can actually use, two bedrooms, an office and a living room with a laundry room off to the side. Over all, it’s better than the small room she spent the first few months recovering in.

         “It’s not what you’re use-” She cuts off Siohban with a few words. 

         “Non, it’s more than enough.” Delphine can see a flash of approval on the older woman’s face. The Irish woman clears her throat before speaking again.

            “We’ll be sending you pieces of the science to help stop the Neolutionists. And someone will bring you food every week. I’ll come collect you myself when it’s time to come back.” The blonde just nods and watches Siobhan leave. After a few moments, she can hear a car drive away before she begins to move again. It takes her several moments to walk to the nearest bedrooms and she just collapses on the bed when finally in the room. Delphine is asleep in moments. Her last thoughts are of Cosima and promising that it will not be long before she returns to her.


	2. Phantasms of the Past Colliding with the Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delphine reflects on the past and finds it returning to her future in a strange way.

Eight months have past. Eight months without Cosima, six of them spent in mostly isolution except for the weekly food and bits of scientific data, trying to figure out what the Neolutionists are planning. She sits at her kitchen table, bent over a laptop, trying to understand the science in front of her. It's getting harder to ignore the pain in her back, but Delphine refuses to take anything stronger than the Tylenol that she asked the Bird Watcher to bring her along with her groceries.

Rubbing her face with her hand, she slowly rose wincing in pain. She'd been sitting for too long, aggravating her healing back. The scientist knew with the research she did on her injury, that there was little to do for her back. The bullet had ripped through her L-3 vertebra and impacted the nerves and part of her L-4 vertebra. It left her with the need to walk with a cane as her legs would spasm randomly, trying to throw her off balance. Her right leg felt like it was asleep most of the time which made it hard to walk or balance for long periods of time. What was the hardest when the muscles of her right thigh would cramp from her hip to her knee, leaving her curled up in pain. 

She knew it could be worse but Delphine couldn't help but mourn the loss of her once healthy body. Her teeth toyed with her lip as she carefully rubbed at her lower back, hoping to alleviate the pain. A small meow drew her attention to the floor where a black kitten, which was as long as her foot, sitting next to her chair, tail swaying back and forth. A small chuckle left her lips as it meowed again. The blonde has never been an animal person but she found the female kitten next to the house. It had been with her since, parting only a brief day where one of the Bird Watchers took it to the vet for its shots and to be spayed. 

"Avez-vous faim petite fille?" She cooed to the small kitten, getting another meow from her. Delphine stood and carefully walked the small distance to the kitchen. Thankfully she didn't need her cane for such short distances. Her hands moved to scoop the cat food into a small bowl as she let her mind daydream. 

So far, her thoughts kept coming back to a dream that had been plaguing her sleep since the night she'd been shot. It always started the same. She's facing Cosima as she struggles to not cry at the sight of the crying brunette, who's voice cracks as she reminds Delphine that the blonde doesn't believe in visions or the mystical. Before she can say anything, the scientist feels herself be tugged backwards, hurtling through the glass windows of her office, screaming as her world shatters. 

The wind whistles as she falls while her heart threatens to crack her ribs with the force it's beating against them. Before she can hit the ground, something grabs her, forcing her eyes open to find she's surrounded by a sea of color. Shades of pink,purple, and blue seem to dance through her vision as she realizes it's a some sort of sheer curtain. 

"Come here,"a familiar voice calls out as a hand covered with, what some would consider gaudy, rings beckons from behind the curtains. Carefully, Delphine goes forward, pushing through the bright silky material to find herself face to face with a familiar cheeky grin. 

"Hey," Cosima drawls, dreads down to past her shoulders, relaxed in a simple gray crop top with purple harem pants. She pulls Delphine close only to hand her a simple children's book. 

"Cosima, quoi-" Her sentence is cut off before a book is thrust into her hands. She peers at it, surprised it's a children's book.

"You know my favorite thing about this book is?" Cosima doesn't give her a chance to answer, hand pressing over where the blonde's heart is beating wildly. The other is resting around her hip as Cosima's arm snakes around her back to draw her closer. She can't help but smile as their foreheads press together, letting herself feel whole for the first time in months. 

"The puppy follows the explorer the whole way." Before she can say anything else, the dream ends, forcing her to return to reality. Only this time, it's not her body waking that returns her to the land of mortals but the sound of a hungry kitten. 

"Ah, Je suis désolé, Jenner." She cooed at the kitten and placed the dish in front of her. Her fingers fiddled with the small star pendant around her neck as the words replayed in her head. 'The puppy followed the explorer the whole way'. 

\-----

Three weeks later, she’s awoken in the middle of the night by the sound of Jenner hissing. Delphine frowns as she slowly sits up. There’s a car that is pulling up and that terrifies her. Her hand is shaking as she pulls a gun from the night stand. It’s heavier than the one she had on her eight months ago. Delphine can feel her hands tremble trying to shake the memory of when she shot Nealon, blood sticky on her cheek as he spasmed on the floor for a few moments. 

Her eyes shut as she slowly takes a few breaths to calm herself before slowly shuffling to the door. She listens as the sound of car doors slam shut and her hands are still trembling as she cocks the gun. Delphine can feel her heart nearly stop as she waits, ready to shoot at whatever comes through that door. The scientist is trying to keep herself calm as there’s a knock on the door. She nearly sobs in relief when Siobhan’s voice, though muffled, comes through the door. 

“ Open up, chicken.” Her earlier fear is forgotten as she moves quickly as she can, throwing open the door. She feels her eyes widen at the sight of the short brunette behind the older woman, familiar glasses and dreadlocks along with a nervous smile make her heart jump for joy. 

“ Cosima-” She whispers breathlessly moving to hug her as Siobhan stops her. 

“ Chicken, this-” 

“ Look, Frenchie, I don’t know who the fuck you think I am but I’m not fucking Cosima Niehaus.” The blonde feels her mouth hang open as she stares at this not Cosima. The face and hair is the same down to the piercings and eyes, but the mouth is drawn into an angry scowl, hints of a lace patterned tattoo on one shoulder while the other had hints of writing that peaked out from her tank top. Delphine just looks at Siobhan stunned, trying to comprehend what she’s seeing. 

“Let’s go inside and have a cupper, hmm?” Siobhan’s voice cuts through her stupor and she nods. Not-Cosima snorts and rolls her eyes. 

“ You bitches can have tea, I’m gonna go shower to get this sitting in someone’s piece of shit car smell off of my damn skin.” With that, Delphine mutely stands aside to watch her stalk to the blonde’s bathroom before slamming the door shut. 

“She gets that from her alright.” Siobhan mumbles, moving to the kitchen and starts making tea. Delphine follows and glares at her. 

“ What the hell is this Siobhan? Some sick joke for you? You promised me that when this was over, I would be able to return to Cosima, not have some putain bouche faute-” 

“You done whining now? Or shall I get some cheese to accompany your belly aching?” Delphine closes her mouth and slowly sits at the kitchen table, trying to ignore Siobhan’s harsh glare. She takes the tea that is offered to and slowly sips it. The scientist waits for the other woman to start talking to explain what is going on. 

“This cloning shite….just when you think you have a handle on it,” Siobhan lets out a weary sigh before continuing. “ Turns out Castor wasn’t the only military faction. And this other one, run by the Canadians , they managed to get samples of the Leda girls. She’s the only one left and been giving the Neolutionists hell from behind a computer screen. ” The scientist is just stunned at the news before mumbling. 

“Mon Dieu….” 

“My God is right. Neolutionists almost got her and now she needs to hide.” Delphine frowns as she realizes where this is going. 

“Non…”

“Oh yes, Delphine, considering you were such a good monitor the last time, you get to look over this wee one while you help us take down our common enemy.” The blonde goes to open her mouth only for Siobhan to speak before she can say anything. 

“The sooner the two of you work on the science and finding the secrets, the sooner you can go back to Cosima.” Delphine grits her teeth before nodding. Siobhan just gives her a tight smile. 

“Good. It shouldn’t be much longer. I’ll tell Donald to start bringing more food when he makes deliveries next week.” With that, Siobhan left, leaving her to stare at her mug of tea. Delphine sighed. It wouldn’t be so bad to have some company… would it?

“Yo, Frenchie, where the fuck is the damn alcohol? Please don’t tell me you’re one of those prudish bitches.” 

Then again……. Delphine just groaned and let her head rest against the table trying to not slam her head into it repeatedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .....I'm an evil asshole I am aware. 
> 
> This is Cophine endgame I promise and only about five chapters in my mind. With that said, the next two chapters are focusing on Delphine getting well and getting back to Cosima. Her new roommate is there to provide a foil to our lovely french lady and help explore Delphine a little more. 
> 
> Also the cat's name has nothing to do with the Jenner family but a nod to Delphine's degree in immunology. Ten points to your house and cookies if you guess it. 
> 
> Thanks again to pandaqueenofmuses for being my beta reader :D


	3. The Healing Pleasures of the Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delphine learns that healing comes in the strangest of places.

Part 3

 

A month into the arrangement and Delphine was ready to tear out her hair. She wasn’t sure what to think of this clone, who swears more than a sailor and refused to be a decent person. It took three days for Delphine to learn that her name is Verdandi and that she was to just call her Verdi. That’s all she got for a while, besides swear words directed at her or sarcastic comments.  The blonde had tried to be patient but was more than ready to ring Verdi's neck.

 

          "Petit merde." She grumbled, watching as Jenner snuggled up to the foul mouth hacker, who placed a joint between her lips.

 

       "Oh sorry, was I supposed to ask if you wanted some?" The blonde briefly wondered just how much trouble she'll get into if Verdi mysteriously disappeared. She took a slow breath in and let it out slowly. Her voice was as calm as she could make it when she spoke finally.

 

         "Can you smoke outside please?" Delphine requested, struggling to not compare Verdi to Cosima but it was hard. It's the little things, the way the hacker's head tilted towards her, cat like, imposing a question without asking, reminded of Cosima doing the same to her. Hell, not to mention the tiny head scratch they both did when confused or stressed. She found her heart aching for Cosima's smile though. The clone in front of her had yet to even smile.  All she's seen is the beginnings of a smile when Verdi finds Jenner asking for attention from the brunette.

 

      Delphine tried to not call her cat a traitor but it is hard not to. Her hand ran through her curls, grateful to return them to their natural state.  She did, however, need to re-dye her locks from the dark brown that her natural hair color was to the golden blonde she’d favored since entering college.  

 

      "Let me think...oh, yeah, fuck no." Verdi grumbled and blew out a few rings of smoke. She grit her teeth at Verdandi’s language and refusal of her request. Delphine counts to ten slowly in her head before asking the hacker once more.

 

“Please, put out your joint or go smoke-”

 

“You fucking deaf, you dumb French cunt? I said-”

 

“Enough!” Delphine’s voice echoed through the cabin. She’s done holding back her anger. Anger at being forced away from the woman that she loves, that she had hurt Cosima, that she’s stuck as a cripple for the rest of her life, that the woman in front of her reminds her of Cosima, and that all she’s sacrificed seems to be in vain because she’s gotten nowhere with the science she’s been tasked with solving.

 

“ Who the fuck do you think you are? You don’t get get to tell me what the goddamn fuck I can do! I’ll smoke whatever the hell I want, where I want!” Verdandi snapped back at her. The clone’s anger would scare many away but to Delphine, who had faced Rachel, Leekie, Ferdinand, and her own death three times, it was no scarier than a kitten’s hiss.

 

She grabbed the joint, stomping it out with her shoe before the other can say anything. For a minute, they just stare at each other. Verdandi, shocked and furious, while Delphine’s face is impassive but her eyes betrayed her fury. The clone snarled at her, unable to say anything but reached into her pocket for another joint and lit it. She blew the sweet but pungent smoke into her face. Verdandi’s smirk is a challenge to Delphine and it made her see red. Before she has time to think, her hand moved, smacking the hacker hard.

 

The joint fell from the clone’s lips while her hand covered her cheek.  Delphine felt her stomach crash to the soles of her feet as guilt wrapped its fingers around her throat. Just like it had when she threatened Rachel. She’d put away Delphine the Scientist and became Delphine the Director, knowing that by staining her hands with shady deals, Cosima and her sisters would be safe. The needs of the many  outway the few  she told herself. Yet, the words of the Hippocratic Oath echoed in her ears, damning her. ‘ Do no harm,’  the voice taunted in her head.

 

She swallowed slowly while trying to find her voice. “ Verdandi, I-” Before she could say more, Verdandi bolted from the room. The blonde just hung her head for several moments before finding the joint. It only took her a few seconds to stub it out  with more force than necessary.

 

\----------

 

It’s after Delphine cooked  them dinner that Verdandi reappeared. Delphine was slowly drinking  a glass of wine when she saw her and cleared her throat.  The clone just glared before  moving to leave the room. 

 

“Verdandi, s'il vous plaît,” she called softly. Delphine let out the breath she was holding when the hacker stopped. Verdandi just glared at her, arms crossed as the scientist began to speak.

 

“Je suis désolé,” Delphine swallowed, trying to figure out where to go from there before repeating her words in English.

 

“I am sorry for yelling and slapping you. I lost control and took out my temper on you. You didn’t deserve that and I am sorry.” The blonde said as she looked at her awaiting some sort of answer.  She wasn’t  prepared for what Verdandi said next.

 

“ ‘m….I’m sorry too.” It’s clear the clone isn’t use to apologizing. “ I like...I know I’ve been an asshole and I umm...yeah, shit, I’ll like… .” She continued before stopping, rubbing her neck and shifting her weight between the balls of her feet.  Verdandi is clearly uncomfortable and so is Delphine. Cosima is the only one in these past two years she’s truly attempted to apologize to. The air is thick around them with awkwardness as neither of them is sure quite sure how to continue forward from here.

 

Carefully Delphine stood, setting the cane next to her chair as she hobbled toward Verdandi. The hacker eyed her, tense and looking like a rabbit ready to bolt. The blonde held out her hand to the younger woman, keeping her voice soft.

 

“Bonjour, my name is Delphine Cormier. Enchanté.” She said, wanting  to make a fresh start between them. It felt like an eternity before Verdandi hesitantly took her hand with her own and shook it.

 

“Hey, I’m Verdandi Papililo, but you umm...can call me Verdi.” Delphine can’t help but smile at that and it grew when she saw Verdi smile as well.

 

\------------

 

The next three months past relatively smooth. Delphine slowly began to see who Verdi is under all the anger and sarcasm the clone threw her way. And Verdi slow began to understand that Delphine isn’t her enemy. At least, that’s what the blonde had hoped until her cane went missing.

 

“ Verdi!” She roared while attempting to hobble  through the cabin. The French cuss words echoed throughout the cabin when silent was her only answer. Counting to ten, she tried once more, shouting out to the clone. 

 

“Verdandi!” Her shout drew the attention of Jenner, who wove around her ankles, letting out a small meow before trotting towards the back porch. She sighed and braced herself against the wall as she spoke, her leg spasming as she grit her teeth in pain. Delphine took a slow breath and let it out in an attempt to ignore the pain. 

 

“Fine, I’ll let you out for a bit.” It took her a few moments to wait for the spasm to pass before hobbling to the porch door. Her eyes widen at what she saw through the glass panes on the door. There sitting on the porch was the clone she’d been shouting for. Verdi was  wearing headphones, but she also had her cane in her one hand and what looked to be a small brush in the other. Carefully, Delphine let Jenner out and followed her, watching the other woman extremely curious.

 

Verdi had her dreads gathered in a messy bun at the nape of her neck while a pair of black headphones cover her ears. From the faint music she can hear, Delphine isn’t suprised that the clone can’t hear her over the sounds of electric guitars and drums. Her attention is drawn to what has been done to her cane. She’s stunned once again and covers her mouth to keep from making a noise. The once black cane that she’s come regarded with disdain is being transformed into a work of art. Now it’s  lavender with blue and green mandalas wrapping around it.

 

“It’s beautiful.” She says which causes Verdi to jump and curse. Delphine can’t help but laugh, thinking that the clone couldn’t hear her.

 

“Damn it Frenchie! Warn a girl next fucking time.” The blonde just rolled her eyes at the curses before gesturing to the cane.

 

“And when you take someone’s property, you should tell them.” Delphine scolded back, causing Verdi to look down and rub the back of her neck. Over the past months, Delphine had discovered Verdi did that when she wasn’t sure what to say or nervous.  She patiently waits for several moments before Verdi spoke.

 

“I...look, I noticed you like get this face when you were looking at it. Like someone lit a bag of dog shit in front of you and you’re just  fucking done with all this bullshit. So I figured, I might as well try and make it not look like shit.”  The blonde is stunned and can’t help but smile at Verdi’s kindness. They're both silent for several moments, unsure of what to say to each other.

 

"Shit...don't cry, if you hate it  I'll just get you a new cane." She didn't realize she was crying until Verdi told her. Delphine wiped away her tears quickly and shook her head.

 

"Non, merci Verdi. This is...it's beautiful." She tells the clone and is shocked surprised when she spots a blush on Verdi’s cheeks. Her eyes are drawn to how the hacker scratches her head, clearly flustered and her heart seemed to squeeze in bittersweet emotions . She could recall Cosima doing the same when she is praised her brunette lover.

 

“It’s like not a big thing. I use to make doodles like this with Ra-”  Verdi stopped and Delphine could see the pain in the brunette’s eyes. She remembered what Siobhan told her, that Verdi was the last of her batch. The older woman hadn't told her how they died but by the look on the clone’s face, it wasn't peaceful. Carefully, she lowered herself to sit next to the brunette and placed her hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently.

 

Again, she’s surprised by the clone, who’s hand rests over Delphine’s.  They just sit there in silence for almost an hour before Verdi speaks softly.  “ One of my sisters, Raziela, she was an aspie and loved to do codes and patterns and things like that. So like, when they weren’t watching us, we’d make codes and ended up doodling things like mandalas. It was just our thing.”  Delphine just listens as she lets Verdi speak, the clone clearly needing this.

 

“She was like always asking questions on  why we acted the way we did and we just...she was this amazing person you know? Like, this one time, she found a kitten on base and nursed it back to health. We weren’t allowed to have pets or anything but, she managed to get all of us to help her hide it.”  Verdi stopped  and looked down at the cane she had been painting with a small melancholy smile.

 

Delphine gently touched her shoulder before speaking, hoping that it's the right thing to say “She sounds amazing.” The hacker just smiled and nodded, clearly swallowing before speaking again, unaware her voice was cracking a little.

 

“Yeah, she was. Even helped me propose.” She’s not sure what to say to that and silence fell over the two of them. The blonde squeezed her shoulder again before Verdi gave her a watery smile in return. Verdi gently handed  the blonde her cane and she took it with a grateful smile.

 

“C'est beau. Merci.” She told Verdi  before slowly standing up, leaning on the cane. Her smile grew as the hacker just shrugged and started blushing again. Delphine just chuckled. “ Come, I’m sure it’s time to make dinner.”  One of her hands is reached out to the clone, carefully helping Verdi to her feet. As they walked into the hous, Jenner weaved in  and out between their legs, letting out contented purrs. Delphine couldn’t help but feel her heart become a little less burdened than it has been since all this started.

 

\---------

 

It’s been a little over a year since she’s kissed anyone she realized when Delphine takes a break from her work. Fourteen months if she’s counted correctly. The thought made her miss Cosima even more as she stared at the unsolved genome she’s been trying to work on. Delphine can picture in her mind Cosima standing over her shoulder and teasing her about this .  “ The Great Dr. Cormier, stumped,” she can hear her tease and sighed before pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes and leaning back. Her mind began to wander, thinking less of Cosima the Scientist (who would've probably helped her solve this damn disease by now) and more Cosima the Lover, who pressed her against the lab tables, reminding her that biological imperatives and passionate love making were two completely different things.

 

As the blonde recalled their passionate encounters, Delphine was startled to realize that it had  been a over  a year and a  half since she took someone to her bed. Despite what Cosima and the rest of Clone Club’s may have thought, she didn’t leap into bed with Topside. Her bed was untouched most nights as it felt too big to sleep in alone. In her mind, no one would ever compare to Cosima or fill the large hole she had left.  And thus, she often curled up on her couch, memories of small hands and a wickedly skillful mouth teasing her, sending waves of pleasure running through her body as her own hand tried to recreate what her brunette lover had done to her.

 

The blonde grunted, snapping her eyes open to stare at the ceiling. “ Merde.” What was the point of even thinking like this? Cosima had Shay now, probably had begun to move on from her death. Would Cosima even remember their relationship or just put it all behind her to start fresh? Delphine couldn’t blame her if she did the later. She knew what they had, while they loved and cared for each other, the situation they found themselves in, their actions towards each other (even in the name of protecting each other), was highly toxic.

 

She stood slowly and went to the stove to make herself some tea, trying to distract from the thoughts of Cosima in her bed. It was difficult if she was being honest. All her mind wanted to focus on was how the brunette would, at times, impishly grin at her, barely touching her until she begged and then not stopping until she was sure that her body couldn’t move for a week. Or how some nights, especially as Cosima grew sicker, they just laid in bed, naked bodies pressed against each other. Fingers would explore bodies, creating feelings of pleasure and safety, orgasm not the goal but a pleasant bonus.  

 

“Damn it,” She could feel herself growing wetter as she continued to think about this.  It took her a few moments to grab her cane, deciding that the cool winter air outside might help her calm her desires.  The Frenchwoman put on a cardigan and stopped when a grumpy and long sounding meow came from her feet. Jenner was sitting next to them, her tail twitching back and forth.  Her eyebrow raised, not use to seeing her cat be so grumpy.

 

“Et pourquoi êtes-vous si bougon? Hmm?” She got her answer as Jenner padded into the kitchen and let out another annoyed meow. Delphine slowly walked over and frowned. The cat’s food dish was empty. After the fight with Verdi, they discussed who would do which chores. Delphine usually did the cooking and some of the cleaning while Verdi would do dishes, cleaning, and feeding Jenner. She wanted to do more but with her muscle spasms and weak leg, it was hard to stand for long periods of time or lift things.

 

Another meow from Jenner broke her from her thoughts. Delphine quickly fed the grumpy animal before walking to Verdandi’s room. Her hand carefully knocked on the door and waited for an answer.

 

“Verdi?” She calls out softly, receiving no answer. The blonde knocked a little louder and tried to ignore the small ball of worry in her gut. Several moments passed with no answer before Delphine decided to do something. Carefully, she opened the door, praying that the clone is just sleeping.  She’s not prepared to see Verdi sitting on the edge of her bed, body slumped while her shoulders are shaking.  Delphine took a minute to walk across to the brunette and squeezes her shoulder gently, not wanting to startle her.

 

Her heart skipped a beat when Verdandi looked at her, tears falling down her cheeks. She’s stunned, not sure what to say as the hacker quickly wiped them away.

 

“Shit, what the hell are you doing in here?” Verdi’s voice is rough, unable to hide the fact that she was crying. Delphine just stares before remembering her voice.

 

“ You didn’t feed Jenner nor did you answer me when I knocked on your door.” The clone opened her mouth to say something but closes it. She noticed the ring that Verdi is holding in her right hand, running her left index finger over it. The scientist also doesn’t miss the way her lip is trembling or how a tear slipped out of Verdi’s eye when the clone blinked rapidly. Her heart clenched again, reminded that she’s seen this exact look on Cosima’s face when they were alone after the autopsy on Jennifer Fitzsimmons. She can tell that this is  grief, someone who had loved and lost.  It took a few moments but she’s sitting next to Verdi, not saying anything but letting the hacker know that she not alone in this.

 

Verdi didn’t say anything for several moments and Delphine wondered if she should leave. Finally, the clone starts to speak. “ You know….the funny thing about cloning a clone is? You’re more likely to get problems. My fiancee, Hannah, she explained it to me once, when we learned the first  one of us got fucking sick. The more times you copy the dna, the more likely all the defects in the dna is going to  pop up and cause problems, like those fucking king and shit back in the like 1800s and stuff.” There’s another pause as Verdi swallowed slowly before talking again.

 

“There were ten of us, the sickness, whatever the hell it is, killed four of us. I remember...Hannah was so fucking hopeful, that she was going to find the damn cure, save all of us. All of us believed that she could. I knew she could do it. Hell, I mean she was so damn smart and maybe cause I was so  in love with her, I believed that she could. But she-”  Delphine can see her start to cry and leans over, gently squeezing her hand for support.

 

The hacker took a few shaky breaths trying to control herself as she keeps talking about her past, to avoid the tears that the blonde can tell are coming. Delphine moved her free hand to rub her back, trying to help her through this moment.  Verdi’s words come out slower between the tears, that she wipes away as the story continues. “ But Hannah got sick too. She just tried to play it off as the flu, but she kept coughing and there was so much blood….”  The blonde can feel her eyes widen when she puts it  all together, the realization of  just what illness she’d been talking about. Verdi had been involved with another clone, a clones from her own batch. Before she could ask questions about this, Verdandi managed to continue on with her story.

 

“They found like these lumps inside of her and tried to like give her drugs and shit, but it didn’t work. I never got to...they wouldn’t let me say goodbye. I couldn’t tell her goodbye in the end….She died….choking on her-” A sob cuts off the words and Delphine pulled her into her arms without thinking. Verdi just clings to her, sobbing into her shoulder as she rubbed her back.  She’s not surprised how easily her own tears come, wondering if she will be in Verdi’s position with Cosima. The blonde wondered if Cosima where to die now just how many regrets would she have. 

 

Delphine tried to ignore her own tears as they fall in sympathy for the both of them, for the pain they have endured. She keeps rubbing the brunette’s back, humming a tune her mother used to soothe her when she was a small child. They stayed like this for several moments before Verdi’s sobs quieted and stopped all together. Delphine just continued to soothe her as best she could, running her fingers through the clone’s dreads.

 

Finally, Verdi pulled away to look at her and Delphine just stared back, trying to understand what is happening. She can see the clone is studying her, trying to figure something out as well. Before she can question her, a finger is placed on her lips causing her to shiver slightly as it slowly pulled away. It takes her a few moments to speak as her brain is slow to understand what is happening.

 

“Verd-”  This time she’s cut off  by slightly chapped and salty lips against her own. Her brain screams at her  her to stop this, to push the other way, but her arms tighten around the brunette and draws her closer. She knows that she shouldn’t do this, but her body demanded to be touched. They continued to kiss for several moments, just lips pressing against lips, losing themselves in the feeling of it. Finally her hand pressed against Verdi's chest, pulling away carefully, trying to get a hold on this before they do something that they regret.

 

Delphine is struggling to keep herself composed as she speaks and unsuccessfully trying to  ignore the way her body is screaming for more. "Verdi, what are we doing?" She managed to finally ask. 

 

"If you didn't know what we were doing Frenchie, I'm wondering how you got your PhD." Verdi snarked out causing her to sigh in frustration.

 

“That’s not what I mean.” The clone just bites her lip as her fingers trailed over Delphine’s arm, making her to shudder softly.  She waited for Verdi to speak, trying to sense what  she wanted from her.  It takes a few minutes for Verdi to figure out what she has to say after absent mindedly tracing patterns on the blonde’s arm.

 

“ I just...for once, I don’t want to think about how fucked up my life is. Just...please Delphine?” Before she can answer, the clone presses their lips together and her body just surrendered to it. It’s not like kissing Cosima she realized as it continued. Cosima was playful, experienced, and had coaxed her to the deeper waters of passion. Verdi kissed like someone who was desperate, hungry for something that Delphine isn’t sure that she can give.

 

Her hand came up to cup the brunette’s cheek, deepening the kiss  while her other arm wrapped around Verdi’s waist, pulling her to properly straddle Delphine’s lap. A grunt leaves her lips as her back twitches in pain from the extra weight, reminding her that she’s no longer the woman she was when she last was intimate with Cosima.

 

“Attendre.” She pulled away to look at Verdi, trying to hide the pain. The hacker frowned and hesitantly touched her face. 

 

“Shit, I didn’t mean to hurt you.” The scientist shook her head at Verdi’s words,trying to let her know it wasn’t her fault. Delphine closed her eyes as she struggled to quell her frustration at her own body and its limitations. It took her a few seconds to hear Verdi talking to her.

 

“ Hang on,” the hacker climbed off of her before giving her a small smile. She watched as Verdi props several pillows against the headboard of her bed before taking Delphine’s hand. The scientist lets herself be guided to sit against the pillows, surprised and grateful that the pillows support her back, easing the pain. Her eyes watch as the hacker climbed back onto her lap and her hand carefully move to cup Verdi’s face as her thoughts race.

 

Could she do this? Actually be able to have sex and what’s more, sex with someone who wasn’t Cosima? Yes, Verdi may share Cosima’s face but there was so much about the hacker that was different from the PhD student…. or was she a doctor now? Before she could continue her thoughts,  Verdi's lips were on hers,hungry, demanding something Delphine tries to give her. 

 

       The blonde tried to slow down but her body had other ideas. She had spent so many nights alone, denying herself physical connection and now, desire had been awoken in her. Part of her knew they both should stop and talk about this so she pulled away, trying to find her voice. However, their eyes met and Delphine could see the pain in Verdandi's eyes, how she pleaded for something to distract from it, if only a moment. A look that she had found staring back at her many nights, haunting her like some specter in the mirror. Before she can over think it, the clone’s lips are back on hers, trying to erase everything else but this feeling of lust.  Delphine feels her eyes flutter shut, just losing herself in the feeling of passion burning away any hesitance left in her veins, much like a wildfire destroying all in its path.

 

She’s surprised at how alive she feels, how her heart beats powerfully against her breast. The sound echos in her ears as she takes control of the kiss. Again, she finds herself surprised when Verdi doesn’t wrestle for control but lets her take it. Her fingers are quick, tugging clothes away from the other’s body, breaking the kiss for air and to rid the hacker of her shirt and bra. Her eyes drink in the differences from Cosima. Where Cosima’s body is supple, curves clearly speaking of womanhood, Verdandi’s form is a bit more wiry, lacking some of the curves that her lover had but instead has sinewy muscles. It’s a testament to the training she was put through.

 

It’s easy for her eyes to take in the amount of small scars that decorate her body and intermingle with the tattoos. Verdi has more than Cosima, covering parts of her shoulders, ribs, and back. A small smile tugged at her lip at the sight of a small tattoo on Verdi’s right forearm, in the spot Cosima had hers. It’s a small tea pot and cup, inked in rainbow colors. Delphine lets her fingers trace a  pattern of lace  that forms a mandula trailing down to the hacker’s left breast before her lips follow the path of her fingers. She does the same with the small inked scarll that hovers above Verdi’s collarbone on the right side.

 

“Inhale the future,” She mumbled against the flushed skin, reading the words written there before feeling Verdi pull her into another needy kiss.

 

“Exhale the past.” Verdi finished as she pulled away for air. Delphine let her fingers trail over the nine butterflies that decorated the brunette’s ribs. The scientist can see something written into the wings but continues to focus on touching the brunette, pleased to see her enjoying this. The blonde knew that she should stop, especially if she wanted to remain faithful to Cosima.  A part of her wondered if she should care, especially given just how quickly it took the brunette scientist to fall into Shay’s bed.  She closed her eyes and tried to follow the advice on Verdi’s tattoo but she couldn’t.

 

Cosima was the one she wanted and would always want. No matter how much her body desired to be touched, she couldn’t go through with sleeping with another.  While she was thinking, she didn’t feel Verdandi pull away  until she felt a hand touch her face.

 

“Delphine,” Her eyes look up to meet the hacker’s, stunned by just how much pain she finds staring back at her.  It is impossible for her not to feel her heart clench, remembering seeing an expression just as vulnerable and pain filled two and a half years ago.

 

I’m sick Delphine…. The words loop in her brain as she swallows slowly, trying to figure out what to do next as her brain struggles to separate Verdi’s face from Cosima’s.  It takes her a moment but she finds her voice, trying to explain her love for Cosima and why this can’t happen. Even if Cosima is with someone else, her heart will always belong to the tiny brunette. And that she can’t do this to the hacker, that she won’t give her false hope for something that could never be.

 

“Verdi-” A finger is placed against her lips as the clone finds her voice to counter what Delphine was going to say.

 

“I know, I’m not her. I’m not asking you to like… stop your feelings and shit for her.  But please...can you just pretend? Just...can’t we both pretend for tonight?” Verdi nearly begs her as her voice cracks at the end of her plea. Delphine can not deny( just like with Cosima) seeing Verdi in pain stirs to urge to protect, to nurture, to care for someone once more. Their kiss is tender, a promise of something neither of them are sure of but they let it happen. Delphine’s fingers continue their exploration of Verdi’s inked skin before coming to the waistband of her sweats.

She hesitated, wanting to give Verdi a way out if needed. However, the hacker took her wrist and guided her hands inside. Delphine can’t help but moan at how wet the brunette is before her instinct takes over. Her fingers find her clit, barely touching it as her free hand tugs on the sweats, trying to get them off. Verdi got the hint, quickly stripping the last bits of her clothes, leaving her nude before the scientist. The blonde watched as Verdi came back over, straddling her once again while her hands are gently pulling Delphine’s shirt from her body. She raises her hands for Verdi and soon her shirt and bra are somewhere on the floor. This time she’s not sure who started the kiss.

 

Their lips continue to press together hungry to feel something other than grief and pain. Delphine lets her hand slip back to where it was, teasing Verdi’s clit and surprised at the hacker letting out a tiny moan. Their chest press together as the blonde carefully explores her cunt with her hand, trying to figure out what she liked and didn’t. The feeling and something cold against her breast causes Delphine to break the kiss and look down at their chests. Her eyes widen at the sight of  nipple ring that is attached to Verdi’s left breast.

 

Before she can stop herself, it’s in her mouth and lightly pulls at it with her teeth. It’s a sight to see Verdi with her back bowed, pressing her breast further into Delphine’s mouth as she moans. She tugs on the ring again while slipping two fingers inside of her. Delphine can’t help but grin a little hearing the mewl that left Verdi’s lips. However, she’s not smug for long.

 

Clever fingers slip into her pants as well and press against her clit. Her hips buck, causing her to gasp at just how intense the feeling is, closing her eyes. Ever since the accident, she hadn’t tried touching herself, believing she was broken, that with the damages to her nerves, that pelvic region had been affected as well, despite her ability to feel arousal. Delphine had read the literature, learning that in many cases like hers, her ability to feel pleasure from clitiral or vaginal situmilation would be either dimissed or altogether gone. However, Verdi’s fingers touching her clit, coaxing a moan from her lips, were quickly proving her wrong. Continuing to suck and pull lightly on the nipple ring, she slipped a third finger into the hacker. Delphine curled them, searching, wanting to make Verdi feel the  pleasure she’d asked for. Her smug grin returned as she felt her fingers brush against the rough spongy area she was looking for.

 

She made sure to keep her fingers focused there, pressing and stroking it as Verdi quaked in her arms.   Her free arm wrapped around the clone’s waist keeping her close as she pressed the heel of her palm against Verdi’s clit while stroking her g-spot.  Delphine was grateful that they had no neighbors as Verdi cried out her release, surprised that the hacker managed her name. The scientist slowly pulled out her fingers, kissing along her neck to help her come down as she let what happen wash over her.

Pulling away, she went to ask a question only to have herself pushed back against the pillows.

 

“Verdi?” She asked, gasping when the hacker tugged her pants and underwear off in one move.  It was easy to see the hunger in the clone’s eyes as she crawled forward and placed a kissed on Delphine’s upper thigh, causing her to moan softly.

 

“Just shut up Frenchie.” There was no malice in the clone’s tone as Delphine tried to reply. However, its cut off when Verdi placed a kiss on her dripping cunt, leaving her moaning as pleasure surged through her body.   Her fingers tangled into the dreads, feeling her hips begin to rock. She was sure that her body was growing hot enough to combust with how the hacker kept teasing her with her tongue avoiding her clit, moving around it.  

 

“Oui ici. Plus fort.”  She moaned as Verdi slipped two fingers as her lips closed around her clit. Part of her was embarrassed how quickly the hacker took her to the edge of pleasure. The scientist closed her eyes and let the bliss flood through her system, drowning out anything that she had been thinking of previously or trying to cling to in her mind. Before she can stop it, her toes are curling and her back bowing as she cried out. She’s can taste both  Cosima’s and Verdi’s names on her lips as she comes, mingled with the tears that are streaming down her cheeks.  Her body continued to tremble as arms wrap around her.

 

Delphine can feel her own arms shaking as she wrapped them around Verdi, the two of them coming together in a small cocoon of blankets and afterglow. She could feel something wet falling on her hair before moving to look at Verdi.  The hacker was crying as well. Gently, Delphine’s fingers wiped away the tears, giving the hacker a small smile. She's surprised when hesitant fingers are wiping away her own tears as Verdi returns her smile. Her hands carefully pull Verdi into her chest and kisses the top of her forehead. It’s shocking just how ease Verdi molded into her, her head tucked into the hollow of her neck like Cosima. Carefully, Delphine wraps the blankets tighter around them, a tired smile on her lips as she hears Verdi’s peaceful breathing. 

 

She looked down, smiling to see the clone asleep and looking peaceful. Delphine places a kiss on her forehead and rests her head against a pillow. Before she can realize it, she’s peacefully asleep and for once, without any dreams haunting her. 

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp...I'm sorry this took so long. But I was struggling with real life things and writing the scene at the end. But hopefully this next chaper will not take as long. And also, please realize that this is a Cophine end game (at least for this fic, there is a whole entire series after all and I am a poly shipper ;) But again, this is a Cophine end game. The sex is basically two lonely and hurt people in need of companionship and healing...which I hoped I showed. Anyways, please comment below and tell me what you liked, didn't like, etc.
> 
> Translations:   
> Petit merde- little shit  
> s'il vous plaît- please  
> Je suis désolé -I'm sorry  
> Bonjour - hello  
> Enchanté- nice to meet you  
> C'est beau. Merci - It's beautiful. Thank you  
> Merde- shit  
> Et pourquoi êtes-vous si bougon- And why are you so grumpy?  
> Attendre- Hang on/ Wait  
> Oui ici. Plus fort- Yes there. Harder

**Author's Note:**

> Welp so that is that....
> 
> I promise there's more to come following Delphine's recovery and more into her. There's also going to be more cophine memories/ thoughts to come.
> 
> So I'd like to thank my girlfriend Ash (aka panadaqueenofmuses on tumblr) for betaing this and my friend/rp partner Syd (aka cloniing on tumblr) for giving me this plot bunny!
> 
> If you want to bug me, you can find me at thefennecwolf on tumblr :)


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